Explore the forces shaping U.S. government and politics with articles that break down key decisions, major events, policy debates, and the voices that influenced them, told through original reporting, archival coverage, and historical context.
In 1878, Indiana’s political map was manipulated to secure power, sparking warnings of gerrymandering that echo today. Democrats and Republicans alike now fear Trump’s mid-Census map redraw efforts might replicate history’s pitfalls.
In 2005, as President George W. Bush put forward John Bolton for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, The Republican of Springfield, Massachusetts, published an op-ed by Mark Shields warning that Bolton’s bullying temperament and dismissal of evidence disqualified him from the post.
In 1868, Harper’s Weekly accused the Democratic Party of embracing chaos and siding with rebels and extremists in the aftermath of the Civil War. The article warned that Democrats’ platform undermined Reconstruction, betrayed Union victory, and threatened to reverse hard-won civil rights progress.
High tariffs, the Des Moines Register argued in 1938, fueled the Great Depression and hindered recovery by stifling trade and hurting farmers.
This 1890 article dives into the curious mechanics of the filibuster, painting it as both a clever tool of minority power and a maddening obstacle to progress—offering a surprisingly timeless look at political gridlock.
In 1934, as the Great Depression strained public education, U.S. educators called on the federal government for emergency financial aid. A group of state superintendents warned of an “imminent breakdown” in schools and urged Congress to approve a $400 million appropriation to keep them afloat. The debate highlighted broader concerns over education funding and the push to reshape American schooling amid economic hardship.
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